Laundry shake-out tumbler



y 1935 E. D. PURKETT 2,002,796

LAUNDRY SHAKE-OUT TUMBLER Filed March 22, 1933'. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 27 Z/ 3mm W20 DPz/zmrr May 28, 1935,. E. D. PURKETT LAUNDRY SHAKE-OUT TUMBLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1933 3 W0 whom ibWAQ J D Poe/(77 Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAUNDRY SHAKE-OUT TUMBLER Edward D. Purkett, Joplin, Mo., assignor to Purkett Laundry Company, Joplin, Mo.

Application March 22, 1933, Serial No. 662,159

Claims. (01. 259-29) This invention relates to laundry shake-out substantially horizontal supports II which maybe tumblers. formed of angle iron as shown, and these sup- It is the common practice in laundries to twist ports are preferably provided with adjusting or wring articles such as towels, sheets, etc., after screws l2 forming the legs of the table. These 5 they have been laundered, until nearly dry. The screws operate to vary the height of the table as 5 articles thus twisted are subjected to rather severe desired within reasonable Upstanding shaking to loosen them up preparatory to feedpedestals I 3 are connected at their lower ends ing them to the ironers. to the supports II and are secured at their upper Animportant object of the present invention is ends to horizontal supporting arms l4. These to provide a novel shake-out tumbler which is arms also may be formed of angle iron as indil0 operative for loosening up or shaking out clothes cated in Figure 2. The pedestals I3 are preferof the character referred to and for delivering ably angularly braced as at I5 and horizontally them from the apparatus ready for ironing. braced as at I6.

A further object is to provide a shake-out Each of the arms I4 is provided on its upper tumbler which is normally operative in a preface with a rack l1 secured thereto in any suit- 15 determined position for receiving laundered arable manner. Axially alined gears l8 mesh with ticles which are to be loosened or shaken, and the racks l1, and each of these gears is keyed which is adapted to be substantially inverted or otherwise secured to a stub-shaft I9. Each after the shaking action is completed to discharge of the stub-shafts is preferably provided at its the articles therefrom without handling, preparouter end with an operating wheel 20, but it will 20 atory to feeding the articles to the ironers. become apparent that only one of these wheels A further object is to provide an apparatus is necessary, and that any other suitable type of of the character referred to wherein the tumbler means for rotating the shafts is may be employed. moves bodily from its loading to its unloading po- A substantially U-shaped frame 2| is arranged sition to facilitate the transferring of the articles between the gears I8 and may be formed of 25 from the loading point to the tables usually archannel iron or other suitable material in order ranged adjacent the ironing machines. that it may possess the desired rigidity. The A further object is to provide a shake-out arms of the frame 2| are arranged parallel to the tumbler which is adapted to be simultaneously arms or rails l4 and are provided with outer 3o rotated from its loading position to its unloading spacing collars 22 within which the stub-shafts position and moved bodily to a suitable discharge, l9 are secured. The frame 2| includes a transpoint, and wherein such simultaneous operations verse member 23 to which is secured a bearing are effected by the operation of a single wheel 24, as shown in Figure 4, for a purpose to be deor similar operating element. scribed.

I Afurther obj t s t p v d s a -out tum- A tumbling drum 25 is arranged within the 35 bler of the character indicated wherein the axis frame 2|, as h This drum md tt of revolution 0f the tumbler 15 located P' 26 and substantially cylindrical side walls 21, and tially inthe vertical plane of the center of gravity the top of the drum is formed substantially coni 1 P 'j h fig figgg g f to s s cal as at 28 with a relatively large central opening gg zg um e 0 on 6 pa 0 29 therethrough for the insertion of clothes in a 0 Other objects and advantages of the invention manner to be descnbed A Stub'shaft 15 sewill become apparent during the course of the cured to the bottom 26 of the tumbler and profollowing description. ects through the bearing 24, a retaining nut 3| In the drawings 1 have shown one embodiment being arrangedon the end of the stub-shaft. It 45 of th invention, In t howing will be apparent that any suitable form 'of anti- Figure 1 is a side elevation, friction bearings may be employed within the Figure 2 is a front elevation, bearing 24. Figure 3 is a plan view, A motor 32 is secured to one side of the frame Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical 2| and is provided with a pulley 33 around which 50 sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3, and passes an endless driving belt 34. This belt passes Figure 5 is a similar view on line 55 of Figaround the cylindrical portion of the tumbler, as

ure 3. clearly shown in Figure 5, and an idler pulley 35 Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral l0 preferably is employed for tensioning the belt 34. designates a table as a whole comprising lower This pulley is urged upwardly by springs 36, and 5 1 tumbler.

' articles.

is supported by bearings 3? mounted upon a bracket 38.

The apparatus is particularly intended for use with a standard laundry ironer (not shown) and such machine ordinarily is provided with a rotating feeding table as indicated by the numeral 3%. As will become apparent, the clothes are discharged upon this table after they have been sultably loosened or shaken out.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The tumbler 25 normally occupies the position shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 4. The motor 32 preferably operates constantly, and the relative sizes of the pulley 33 and the cylindrical portion of the tumbler are such as to provide the desired speed reduction in the rotation of the Clothes are fed into the opening 29 as the tumbler rotates, and the axis of the supporting spindles or stub-shafts l9 preferably is in the vertical plane of the center of gravity of the tumbler and the parts connected thereto whereby the tumbler operates when either loaded or unloaded without any tendency to rotate about the axis of the spindles 59.

The rotation of the tumbler 27 about the axis of the shaft 39 continues until the clothes have been suitably loosened. In this connection it will be noted that the rotation .of the tumbler continually elevates and then drops the clothes to tend to loosen them substantially in the same manner that they are conventionally loosened by shaking with the hands. When the loosening operation has been sufiiciently completed, it merely is necessary for the operator to rotate one of the wheels 29, and this operation may be accomplished with little physical effort in view of the placing of the spindles l 9 with respect to the tumbler. The rotation of one of the wheels 20 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 4 causes the tumbler to be rotated about the axis of the spindles I9, and the action referred to also rolls the gears 88 along the racks H. The gear and rack arrangements at opposite sides of the apparatus are identical, and accordingly the axis of rotation of the spindles l9 partakes of no angular change.

The rotation of one of the wheels 28 is continued until the tumbler assumes substantially the dotted line positions shown in Figures 1 and 4 at which point the tumbler is substantially inverted and the opening 29 is arranged substantially vertically beneath the uppermost portions of the tumbler. During the entire operation referred to, the tumbler is rotated by the motor 32, and this rotation, when the tumbler reaches discharging position, continues to elevate the clothes after which they progressively drop through the opening 29 in a loosened condition upon the table 39. As soon as the tumbler is completely emptied one of the wheels 20 is again rotated in the op posite direction to restore the parts to normal position ready to be loaded with twisted clothing. The operators of the ironing machines are thus supplied with damp loosened articles upon the table 39, and these articles are picked up and fed into the ironers in the usual manner without the necessity of having to loosen or shake out the Thus the manual labor ordinarily involved in the shaking out of the articles is completely avoided, the tumbler performing this work in a quick efiicient manner.

The use of the apparatus has further advantages for the reason that it permits the feeding of the clothes to the apparatus from one side thereof while the clothes are discharged from the aooa'zee other side or" the apparatus to the receiving table. Thus the operators who feed the clothing into the tumblerdo not interfere in any way with the operators who pick up the articles from the table 39 and feed them to the ironing machine.

Wheels 25 preferably are provided at both sides .of the apparatus merely as a matter of convenience, but it will be apparent that only one wheel need be employed. Moreover, a lever or similar operating element may be employed in place of the wheel. It further will be obvious that the length of the racks H and the diameters of the gears it may be varied as desired according to the distance through which it is desired to move the tumbler bodily from its loading to its unloading position.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a substantially cylindrical tumbler having its axis normally arranged substantially horizontally, said tumbler having an opening in one end, a shaft connected to the other end of said tumbler and journaled in said frame, a motor supported by said frame and having a pulley arranged with its axis parallel to the axis of said tumbler, and an endless belt passing around said pulley and around said tumbler, means for supporting said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis, and means for eiiecting bodily movement of said frame at right angles to said horizontal axis during rotation of the frame thereabout.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a substantially cylindrical tumbler having its axis normally arranged substantially horizontally, said tumbler having an opening in one end, a shaft connected to the other end of said tumbler and journaled in said frame, a motor supported by said frame and having a pulley arranged with its axis parallel to the axis of said tumbler, and an endless belt passing around said pulley and around said tumbler, and means for supporting said frame for simultaneous rotation about a horizontal axis and for bodily movement substantially horizontally at right 21.1%

gles to such axis.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a normally horizontal substantially U- shaped frame, a substantially cylindrical shakeout tumbler having an opening in one end and having its axis normally substantially horizontal, a shaft connected to said tumbler coaxially thereof and rotatably connected to said frame, a pair of horizontal stationary racks arranged adjacent opposite sides of said frame, and coaxial gears carried by said frame and meshing with said racks.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a substantially cylindrical shake-out tumbler connected to said frame for rotation about its axis, a motor carried by said frame and having a pulley arranged with its axis parallel to the axis of said tumbler, an endless belt passing around said pulley and said tumbler, a pair of supporting racks, and a pair of coaxial gears carried by said frame and meshing with said racks.

5. Apparatus of the character described comprising a normally horizontal substantially U- shaped frame, a substantially cylindrical shakeout tumbler having its axis normally substantially horizontal, a shaft connected to said tumbler coaxially thereof and rotatably connected to said frame, a motor rigidly connected to said frame and provided with a pulley arranged with its axis parallel to the axis of said tumbler, an endless belt passing around said pulley and around said tumbler, a pair of racks arranged adjacent opposite sides of said frame, and coaxial gears carried by said frame and meshing with said racks.

EDWARD D. PURKETT. 

